ketamine

noun

ke·​ta·​mine ˈke-tə-ˌmēn  ˈkē- 

: a general anesthetic that is administered intravenously and intramuscularly in the form of its hydrochloride C₁₃H₁₆ClNO·HCl and that is used illicitly usually by being inhaled in powdered form especially for the dreamlike or hallucinogenic state it produces

Note: Ketamine is also called Special K when used as a recreational drug

Examples of ketamine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Judge Gonzalez Rogers barred OpenAI in March from asking Musk about his alleged ketamine use, finding the company hadn’t tied the drug to any specific OpenAI decision. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026

Perry died in 2023 at 54 due to the acute effects of ketamine, which prompted Kudrow to rewatch the series. —Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026

Among the drugs classified as Schedule III are ketamine, anabolic steroids and Tylenol with codeine. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026

In her plea agreement, Sangha admitted to knowingly distributing ketamine to Perry, whose struggles with drug addiction and numerous rehab visits were well documented. —Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

ket(one) + amine

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ketamine

• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene
• caesarean

Medical Definition

ketamine

noun

ke·​ta·​mine ˈkēt-ə-ˌmēn 

: a general anesthetic that is administered intravenously or intramuscularly in the form of its hydrochloride C₁₃H₁₆ClNO·HCl and that is used illicitly usually by being inhaled in powdered form especially for the dreamlike or hallucinogenic state it produces see special k